Artemisinin: A Natural Anti-Cancer And Malaria Remedy

A plant group called Artemisia contains over 180 different species, several of which are traditionally renowned for their remarkable range of therapeutic actions. These include the common mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), used to ease the discomfort of painful periods, and wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) that's been recognised since biblical times as being beneficial against parasites and liver damage. However, it is sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua), a close relative of ordinary wormwood, long used in ancient Chinese medicine as a tonic for fevers, that is causing such a stir in scientific circles and regaining popularity today.

It's fortunate that we have this knowledge about the medicinal uses of Artemisia plants, considering that information about them was lost for almost two thousand years. This was until it resurfaced again in 1970 when archaeologists were surprised to discover medical recipes hidden inside a Chinese tomb dating back to 168 BC. One recipe in particular contained information about an active ingredient called qinghaosu, derived from the leaves of Artemisia annua, which was praised for being extremely effective against fevers.

Qinghaosu has now been renamed 'artemisinin' by Western scientists, who began studying its medicinal properties following this rare find. Research has confirmed its ability to help alleviate fevers, malaria in particular, as well as discovering that it is a potent anti-cancer agent too.

Artemisinin helps kill the malaria parasite in the blood stream

There are two main reasons why artemisinin has received so much attention by scientists in terms of its benefits relating to malaria. Firstly, because of the increasing numbers of people who now travel to parts of the world where malaria is rife. And secondly, because many conventional treatments are proving ineffective as malaria parasites develop resistance to them. So far, artemisinin has not been met with any resistance and has even been found to be effective in cases where conventional drugs have failed.

For example, Japanese doctors reported the case of a woman who developed severe malaria, which remained unresponsive to treatment with conventional anti-malaria drugs including quinine, proguanil and mefloquine. After being administered artemisinin in oil form (called artemether), the doctors noted a marked improvement in her condition after just a few days. And, according to the researchers, a few weeks later she went on to make a full recovery (Ishizaki A, et al. Kansenshogaku Zasshi 2003, 77(1):34-37).

In contrast to conventional anti-malarial drugs, which can produce a range of adverse reactions - such as dizziness, vomiting, mouth ulcers and diarrhoea - artemisinin is a far safer option. Although there is plenty of evidence available that supports its use in established cases of malaria, there is no research to indicate that it can help prevent the disease. So, if you intend to travel to malaria-infected regions it's important that you consult your doctor or travel nurse who will be able to suggest appropriate treatments and other measures you can take to help protect yourself against the disease.

Studies show that some cancerous cells are killed in as little as 8 hours

More and more research findings are emerging that demonstrate artemisinin's cancer-fighting properties. Scientists from the University of Groningen in The Netherlands conducted a study to assess how it is able to destroy cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells intact. They discovered that artemisinin exists in several different chemical forms, which all vary ever so slightly from each other. Examples of these variants are dihydroartemisinin, deoxyartemisinin and dihydrodeoxyartemisinin (Beekman AC et al. Planta Med 1998, 64(7): 615-617).

One of the reasons why they are thought to be so effective is because they each act at different stages in the cancer-fighting process: some variants are responsible for identifying and recognising cancerous cells, other variants then take charge of killing them, and others aim to eliminate the dead cells -- allowing healthy cells to grow and develop (Beekman AC et al. J Nat Prod 1997, 60:325-330).

The most impressive results in this area followed a recent study carried out by researchers from the University of Washington, in the US. Their research found that artemisinin was able to kill up to 75 per cent of breast cancer cells in just 8 hours. When the treatment continued for a total of 16 hours, all the breast cancer cells were destroyed, while healthy cells remained unharmed.

Reporting on the findings, Drs Narendra Singh and Henry Lai explained that artemisinin activates iron molecules that are present in the blood and transforms them into harmful free radicals -- harmful to cancerous cells that is. The reason why it is so active against cancerous cells but not normal healthy cells, is because cancerous cells have a very high affinity for iron, unlike healthy cells which carry very little iron on their surface (Singh N, Lai H. Journal Life Sci 2001, 70:49-56). The high iron content of the cancerous cells means that they are easily detected by artemisinin, which binds to the iron and creates free radicals which, in turn, kill the cancerous cells.

What to take for best results

The recommended dosage is one to two 100mg artemisinin capsules twice a day. Take artemisinin with a low carbohydrate, high fat meal (containing olive oil, oily fish or dairy products), to enhance absorption from the bowel.

WARNING: Artemisinin is not suitable for pregnant women. In addition, it may cause a slight tingling sensation in the arms or legs in rare cases, which usually clears up as soon as the dosage is reduced. If taking high dosage amounts for the treatment of cancer (which should be done under strict medical supervision), then you need to have regular blood tests performed to make sure liver or kidney problems do not develop.